A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Van Dijk Fights A Dip in Form

The unforgiving spotlight that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's fresh frustrating night.

The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday.

But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive foundation as Liverpool have collected the full collection of major trophies, whose dip in performance took center stage during the stalemate.

The Seasoned Stars and Renewed Terms

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the prospect of offering extensions to a veteran duo much closer to the end of their careers than the start.

Truly, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no denying the harsh truth that performance has dipped concerningly for both.

Backline Issues and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer overhaul that has yet to prove anything like value for money.

Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that gave away a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Symbolized The Issue

It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before backing away and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that struck him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.

Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his uncharacteristic failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage.

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just drops off. It's the wrong decision. He needs to go to the ball. Him not making the decision means that no one else knows what to do."

"Virgil Van Dijk last season was faultless. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself."

The Numbers and Missing Leadership

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be written off after winning two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career.

He has, though, looked a pale imitation of his usual dominant persona this season, with the worst recoveries per game during his Liverpool career, while key defensive stats are also down on last season.

And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's preserve alone in a Liverpool team brimming with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to seize the initiative by the throat.

Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an makeshift forward, was representative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm.

A Side Without Inspiration

Slot persisted with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines.

The Egyptian emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop looked to him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after getting off the mark with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot would have been under even more pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending.

Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's superb tracking back allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had rounded keeper Alisson.

Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead

Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson blessed to turn Trai Hume's shot onto the bar in the first half before Omar Alderete headed against the post after the interval.

Liverpool were slow, labored and short on invention. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has fallen apart.

But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were adventurous, self-believing and threatening.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have embraced life in the Premier League that they will be frustrated they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.

For Slot and Liverpool, it is time for reflection.